Michael Schanck has become manager of safety affairs and operations for the Washington-based General Aviation Manufacturers Assn. He was a Jetstream 41 first officer for Atlantic Coast Airlines.
These photo chemically etched RF shielding cans with patented removable covers allow internal components to be replaced or repaired without damaging the surrounding shield. An etched line on the surface is broken to minimize RF leakage. The tab connecting the lid to the shield can be snipped and resoldered in seconds, cutting downtime. Available in brass and 10-10 steel with solder plating, the shields protect components from radio frequency and electromagnetic interference and environmental hazards while providing electrical grounding.
Four U.S. major airlines, two each already paired by close business relationships, have formed a joint venture to operate an independent travel Web site. The partnership of United, Delta, Northwest and Continental will offer the first multiairline travel portal. The site will offer access to real-time flight information and ways to purchase airline tickets, hotel rooms and rental cars. It also will offer search features for trips by schedule and by price.
The radio-frequency countermeasures portion of the integrated defensive electronic countermeasures (IDECM) system for the Navy's F/A-18E/F now appears to be ``over the hump.'' The most challenging issue remaining is to obtain a more rugged tether for its towed decoy. IDECM also is intended for USAF's B-1B to upgrade its defensive avionics.
The Swedish Space Corp. has contracted with French manufacturer Reims Aviation for the delivery of two MSS 5000 Maritime Surveillance Systems to be installed on F406 aircraft for the Hellenic Ministry of Mercantile Mariner.
The punctuality of scheduled flights in the U.K. remained steady overall in the second quarter of 1999, but on-time performance of charter airlines decreased 6% compared with the same period in 1998. Although 70% of flights arrived on schedule, the proportion of on-time charter flights decreased to 45% during the quarter ending June 30--down from 51% the previous year.
IBM Global Services will maintain AlliedSignal's mainframe, midrange and help-desk operations under a multiyear, information technologies contract valued at up to $550 million.
Industry and congressional officials are skeptical about whether the Pentagon can fix the problem of low stock valuations in the defense industry about which Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre has expressed concern.
A breakdown in cockpit resource management is being examined as a contributor to the overshoot of the runway of Qantas Flight QF1, a Boeing 747-400, on Sept. 23, at Bangkok, according to sources close to the investigation.
Icelandair is moving toward an all-Boeing 757 fleet. The Reykjavik-based carrier has sold and leased back its three 737-400s and plans eventually to replace them and accommodate planned growth with four new 757s, one to be delivered each year through 2003, according to Leifur Magnusson, senior vice president of development and fleet planning. Two of the jets will be stretched -300 versions. Icelandair operates six 757-200s configured with 189 seats.
XC-2L is a lubricated, carbon-fiber reinforced material for high-load bushing/bearing uses. The XC-2L is one of the few dry running capable materials available. In comparative testing it exhibited half the wear of carbon at 12,000 PV against condition 1075 stainless steel 17-4 PH. Its wear rate was 700 times less than bronze material. It's well-suited for rotary, reciprocating and thrust-bearing applications. EGC Corp., 11718 McGallion St., Houston, Tex. 77076.
The Hong Kong Civil Aviation Dept. has revealed that the China Airlines MD-11 that crashed on Aug. 22 at Chek Lap Kok Airport landed in a crosswind of 28 kt.--4 kt. above the airline's operating procedures for wet-runway landings. But China Airlines has defended its flight crew claiming its pilots followed all operating procedures. The airline says the pilots landed based on the information given to them and that a Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 had landed just ahead of the MD-11 (AW&ST Sept. 27, p. 44).
With another NASA spacecraft scheduled to arrive at Mars in less than three weeks--this time for a landing--the board investigating the failure of Mars Climate Orbiter has raised concerns about the descent propulsion system on Mars Polar Lander. The NASA Mishap Investigation Board was formed to find the cause of the Sept. 23 Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) failure as the spacecraft entered orbit around the planet, but has also been in a race against time to see if there are any problems that could affect the lander mission.
Duane A. Manning (see photos) has been appointed vice president-spares sales and Eric Jensen vice president-operations for the Raytheon Aircraft Parts and Inventory Distribution Co., Wichita, Kan. Manning was director of marketing and new business development and Jensen director of continuous improvement, both for Raytheon Aircraft Montek
Boothroyd Dewhurst Inc. of Wakefield, R.I., has added a concurrent costing module to its Design for Manufacture and Assembly software series to isolate the major cost drivers associated with manufacturing parts. DFM Concurrent Costing 1.1 allows engineers to import solid models to obtain 3D part geometry data. When a file is opened, the part's weight, dimensions, volume, number of surfaces and other measurements are automatically updated.
Several internal and independent reviews have forced the U.S. Air Force to realize it needs to improve its management of electronic warfare. The service faces an up-hill climb to make up for several years of neglect in this combat area. The recent air wars against Iraq (Operation Desert Fox) and Yugoslavia (Operation Allied Force) served to highlight EW shortfalls.
iFactory Monitor is a unique way to monitor machines, equipment and processes on the factory floor. It leverages standard Internet technology to provide a fully configurable, full-featured real-time solution for local or remote monitoring. Built around a Web server with dynamic HTML and scripting capabilities that include direct access to digital I/O, analog I/O and serial ports, it allows direct set-up configuring and viewing of events using a standard Web browser.
Israel has requested the update and remanufacture of up to 24 of its AH-64A Apache attack helicopters to D-model status. The contract, estimated to be worth as much as $508 million, would include upgraded engines and 12 AN/APG Longbow millimeter-wave fire control radars for equipping half the rebuilds to AH-64D Longbow status. The request now goes to Congress for approval. If the contract goes forward, work would be performed at Boeing's rotorcraft facility in Mesa, Ariz.
Simon Ramo (see photo), cofounder of TRW Inc., has received the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal and 1999 National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Lifetime Achievement from the Smithsonian Institution. Both awards recognized Ramo as a statesman, business leader, scholar, scientist and engineer. He was lauded for his career in the aerospace industry, leadership in the development of systems engineering and advocacy for America's high-technology electronics and aerospace industries. NASA also honored Ramo during a Nov.
The combination of Reversible Boom Crane and articulating grippers provides a solution for assembling, lifting and moving awkward objects. The gripper rotates 360 deg. on its vertical axes, has 360 deg. rotation on the horizontal, raises from ground level up to 8 ft. and is equipped with a telescopic boom. Units are available in electrically or air powered hydraulic systems with 110 volts A.C. or 220-440, 3-phase A.C. The crane comes in capacities from 1,000-20,000 lb., and is designed for lift up to 14 ft.
This gear motor integrates brushless DC servo motor technology with True Planetary gearing in a complete package from one supplier. The gearmotor has fewer parts, is more cost effective, more reliable and needs less space than individual components. Integrating gearhead and motor also minimizes tolerance stack-up enabling designers to pull the most from their servos. A range of mechanical options are available including resolvers, encoders and connectors. Thomson Industries Inc., 2 Channel Drive, Port Washington, N.Y. 11050-2214.
This fire detector has been factory engineered to ``see'' specific fires. The Eye-Spy uses infrared and ultra-violet sensors to spot precise radiation given off by various types of combustion. It ignores sunshine, arc welding, high-intensity lamps and other spurious sources. The detector can be outfitted to trigger an extinguishing system, turn on alarms, close valves, shut fire doors and relay the alarm to a fire station. It comes equipped with a nonvolatile memory that stores the last fire event to expedite event analysis. The case is 4.5 in. in dia. X 5.5 in. deep.
U.S. general aviation airframe manufacturers delivered 610 new aircraft in the third quarter, bringing total shipments in the first nine months of this year to 1,692 compared with 1,492 units during the same period in 1998. In addition, billings increased to $5.5 billion--up from $3.9 billion during the first three quarters of last year. Edward Bolen, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Assn., said, ``We are seeing tremendous market activity throughout the industry.'' He noted that 1999 is ``shaping up to be another great year.''
